Clinton's thin lifeline: Who's Who on the Democratic National Committee Rules and Bylaws Committee

WASHINGTON–The weekend meeting of the Democratic National Committee Rules and Bylaws Committee here will ponder the fate of the disputed Michigan and Florida delegates, stripped of their seats at the Denver convention because their states votes early, in violation of party rules. Getting these delegations seated–in a formula favorable to Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-N.Y.)–is crucial to her rationale for staying in the race even though Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) just about has the nomination wrapped up. There’s pressure on DNC chairman Howard Dean to broker a deal.

So who is on the DNC Rules and Bylaws Committee? One member is former Cook County Assessor Thomas C. Hynes, whose son Dan, is the state comptroller and big Obama supporters. Dan Hynes ran against Obama in the 2004 Democratic Senate primary.